Batting

The Belmont Abbey softball team won at the Conference Carolinas Tournament for the first time since 2009 with a 7-1 win over Pfeiffer, then dropped the winners bracket game to North Greenville by a 4-2 score tonight. Belmont Abbey is now 21-22 on the year.

The Crusaders will face Mount Olive Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. in an elimination game.

In the opener, the Crusaders surrendered a third inning run as Pfeiffer's Khristin Isley clouted a solo homer, but the Abbey responded with seven unanswered runs in the middle innings to win for the first time in the Conference Carolinas Tournament since April 18, 2009.

Belmont Abbey broke through in the fourth with three runs, as Shanie McConnell tied the game with a run scoring single that plated Kasey Boughman. One batter later, Dani Marietta smacked a two run homer to give the Crusaders a 3-1 lead.

One inning later, Anna Mixa singled home Alexis Pereiro to widen the gap to 4-1. In the sixth, the margin grew to 7-1 as McConnell scored on a Falcons error off the bat of Brooke Pegram. Sloane McPeak then delivered a two RBI ground rule double to the gap in right center, scoring Pegram and Marietta for the final runs of the game.

Samantha Jacobs made the lead stand up, as she recorded her career-high tenth win as she went the distance, striking out eight while limiting Pfeiffer to one run on five hits. Her record moves to 10-10.

Pfeiffer starter Sam Jarmusch fell to 8-8 as she gave up three runs on six hits in four innings.

Pereiro, McConnell and Marietta all finished with two hits as the Crusaders totaled 11 on the day.

In the nightcap, North Greenville touched starting pitcher Nikki Faust for three first inning runs, which proved to be enough as Belmont Abbey's only runs of the game came in the bottom of the frame on Amber Faust's two RBI single to left.

North Greenville added an insurance run in the sixth on a solo homer by Shayna Finley.

Faust lasted just a third of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits. Jacobs pitched the final six and two thirds innings, fanning nine while yielding one run on four hits.

North Greenville's Sarah Armstrong pitched a complete game, striking out four while allowing just two runs on five hits.